Akane's Cat-astrophe!
by Pata Hikari
Summary: Shampoo's latest scheme to help her win Ranma's heart has far reaching consequence's for Akane's life. Now there's another Jusenkyo curse in town for them to deal with!
1. Fiancees and Felines

**Part 1/5: Fiancees and Felines**

"They're here… at last they're here!" Shampoo did her best not to erupt into maniacal laughter at the package that had just arrived from China. After all, it wouldn't do for Mousse or even her Great Grandmother to discover what she had acquired.

It had taken several months worth of her salary (and several weeks worth of Mousse's) in order to afford it. Still, it was well worth it.

The package itself has come from _JusenCO_ **.** JunsenCO is, of course, a small business ran out of China, their speciality is various products based off the cursed Springs of Jusenkyo. Shampoo had previously ordered packets of Instant Spring of Drowned Man, and special Waterproof Soap from them. Both of these products had the problem of being more temporary than she had previously hoped for. (It's not her fault, they made the fine print so **tiny**.) However, this large crate was different. It contained the guaranteed solution to all of her problems!

Pulling out a crowbar, Shampoo quickly pried open the crate. Digging through the pile of packing peanuts, with a grin of triumph she found the things she was looking for within. Two urns, both of them labeled. One had the Chinese character for " _Maiden"_ on it. The other had the Chinese character for " _Cat"._

They were urns filled with water from the Spring of Drowned Girl and Spring of Drowned Cat, respectively.

Months ago, when Shampoo had first seen the two urns in the catalog. (Thankfully Spring of Drowned Girl water is much, **much** cheaper than Spring of Drowned Man water.) A plan began to form.

First, the cure to her own embarrassing curse. While it did have some advantages, a trained fighter like herself couldn't stand the gigantic weakness it presented to anybody who knew about it. And, worst of all, the fact that she was positive that the curse was perhaps the biggest thing standing in her way of winning the heart of the love of her life, Ranma Saotome.

Just thinking about Ranma made her heart flutter, Shampoo letting out a girlish sigh. He was, in her opinion, the perfect man. Strong, clever, sweet when he really needed to be. Sure, he was a bit of a jerk at times, but that just added to his appeal, making his kind moments much more memorable.

Still, one issue he had was that phobia of cats. More than once Shampoo had been interrupted in what she was so sure was going to be a sweet romantic moment with Ranma by the untimely presence of cold water. What followed was always Ranma running away, arms flailing in panic, screaming "Cat!" at the top of his (Or her, depending on if the water hit Ranma or not) lungs with Shampoo having little choice but to cling to him for dear life, which always made things worse.

Of course, that immediately brings to mind the other roadblock in her path to happiness.

Akane Tendo.

Shampoo didn't know **what** kind of hold that girl had over Ranma. It couldn't be love, after all, Shampoo had run the numbers. She was objectively superior to that girl in every respect. Shampoo was the better fighter, had better looks. Heck she could even cook better, and she was from a matriarchal society that didn't culturally expect women to learn to cook! She was better at her **hobbies** then something that Shampoo figured Akane was simply expected to know how to do. But somehow no matter what Shampoo tried, Akane was always there. She had to have some kind of blackmail or weakness of Ranma on hand. There was no other explanation.

More than once, Akane had used Shampoo's curse to her advantage. That would end shortly. With the second urn, everything would be turned around. It would be Akane stuck with the awful curse. It would finally drive Ranma away from her once and for all! She could picture it…

" _Oh Shampoo…" Ranma's arms were around her waist. "Thank goodness you're cured!"_

" _Now nothing's stopping us from being together…" Shampoo whispered, leaning into his strong chest._

" _Shampoo I…"_

" _RAANNNMAAA!" The demonic shriek of a harpy echoed through their ears. It was Akane, hideous as usual. She pulled out a massive mallet, one covered in spikes, that was also on fire. "HOW DARRREE YOU BE NEAR ANOTHER WOMAN!"_

 _.Shampoo however, was unafraid. She pulled out a bottle of water, splashing it over her. In an instant the demon became a cat. A rather ugly little cat, but one none the less._

" _Eeeekkk!" Ranma screeched in fear at the sudden feline. But Shampoo was ready, she casually booted Akane off into the sunset._

" _Don't worry Ranma, she's gone now. She'll never bother us again." Shampoo said._

" _Oh Shampoo…" Ranma said. "Shampoo… Shampoo…"_

" **Shampoo!"** Cologne's voice interrupted Shampoo's daydream. "Get down here this instant!"

Shampoo groaned. Just when she was about to finally be cured, her Great Grandmother had to throw some other chore at her! Setting the urns down on the table, she ran downstairs to the restaurant. She left the two urns perched on her dresser. In her haste, she left the door open.

A few minutes passed, and Mousse came in carrying a basket of laundry, it being his turn to wash everything. "Shampoo? Are you in here?" Normally he would be happy to see her, even if he couldn't actually see her because he was not wearing his glasses. However, since he was doing laundry he had a big pile of her underwear. If Shampoo caught him with her underwear, even if it was his turn, she tended to punch him until he no longer had any,

So upon hearing that nobody was in Shampoo's room, he stepped in. A big basket filled with clothing and no glasses on lead to him completely failing to see the crate in the center of her room. As such, he ran straight into it and tripped. The clothing flew out of his hands, and scattered everywhere.

"Crap!" Mousse looked up at the sound of something being knocked over and spilling out. He grabbed the knocked over urn. The character for "Cat" covered by one of Shampoo's bras, not that he would have noticed without his glasses on. The lid of the urn had been knocked off, and half the liquid had spilled out onto the floor. "Oh no…" He didn't know what Shampoo wanted with it, but he knew she'd be mad if she realized what had happened! Thinking fast, he grabbed the other urn, popping off the lid. Mousse could not smell or see any difference between the two liquids. He then poured the liquid from the Maiden Urn into the Cat Urn. He then placed the lid back on the Cat Urn, but frowned as he noticed that he had poured too much out of the Maiden Urn, now it was half full.

It was at this point that Mousse realized that Shampoo might be able to tell the urns by weight. He couldn't just balance them out… what to do? "A-hah!" Mousse pulled a bottle of water out of his robes, pouring it into the Maiden Urn. Checking to see that the two were equal weight, he set them back down "Perfect." He then set about picking up her clothing and-

"What Mousse doing with Shampoo's underwear!?" Shampoo had returned from her errand.

"W-wait Shampoo! I was just-" His explanation was interrupted by Shampoo's fist meeting his face.

* * *

"See you later Akane!"

Akane waved to her friends Yuka and Sayuri, the two of them had just finished a couple hours in the local arcade. They had spent the time playing games, gossiping about school events and, of course, boys. Once the topic of boys came up, it would always drift to the topic of her troublesome fiance, Ranma. Shaking her head at memories of the giggling whispers about how "handsome" he was and questions on what kissing him was like (Like either of them had the guts to do that!).

Still, a warm smile came to her face at the thought of him. She decided to cut through a park to get home faster. Hopefully Ranma would be home, and they could do their homework together and maybe watch some T.V.

As she walked past a bench, she heard the sound of a familiar bicycle bell, and her danger senses started going wild. Sure enough, a familiar bike with a familiar girl landed on the bench. The rider looking at Akane with a decidedly neutral expression.

"Hello Shampoo." Akane said, slowly glancing around the park. It was a wide open space, no place to be cornered or corner Shampoo with. "What's up?"

"We talk." Shampoo got off the bike, landing on the ground.

Akane shrugged, "OK then. What about?"

To Akane's complete lack of surprise Shampoo continued, "Ranma." She leaned back against her bike. "Why Akane stick with Ranma?"

Akane resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Because Ranma is my **fiance** Shampoo."

"So what? Akane plan to marry Ranma?" Shampoo pointedly asked.

"Well, I mean, uhhhh…" Akane looked away, "Well, I suppose. I wouldn't… object. To marrying him. Someday."

Shampoo let out a snort, "That weak Akane. Akane say Ranma fiance? Well, Ranma **Shampoo's** fiance. And Shampoo **will** marry Ranma when Ranma ready. Akane even want to marry Ranma?"

Frustration flushed through her system, "You know why I'm engaged to Ranma! It's arranged! Our dads decided their kids would marry and Ranma's an only child and I got volunteered!"

"That not answer question." Shampoo leaned in close. "Akane say she has to marry Ranma. Akane **want** to marry Ranma?"

"What about you? That silly law in your village, that Ranma 'beat' you in a fight, not much of one though…" Akane snapped back. "I don't see how my situation is any different than yours then!"

Shampoo took Akane's counter in stride, "So what? So Akane have some obligation to marry Ranma like Shampoo. We no can both marry Ranma, so eventually choice will have to be made. But, here difference. Shampoo **want** to marry Ranma. Akane say weak words like 'have to' and 'won't object'? That silly. If Akane no want to marry Ranma, wouldn't think of marrying him without parents arranging it, then why not just go away? Let other woman who obligated, who actually want to marry Ranma, do it."

Akane found her mouth dry suddenly. "Wh-why are you bringing this up now?"

"Why not resolve things now?" Shampoo answered lazily, "We both been stuck in limbo, why wait for Ranma to man up?" Her gaze snapped back to Akane's eyes, "Now, Akane, you want to marry Ranma or no?"

Akane somehow found something to swallow, she carefully looked around. No parents, no Ranma even. Nobody they knew, though with her luck Kuno would erupt out of the bushes declaring that she wanted to marry him. (Actually she almost hoped he would to give a distraction.) Yet, nothing. Nobody was paying the two teenage girls a second glance. Would this really settle things? Akane doubted it, still… she finally took a deep breath. After all, even though a single punch had yet to be thrown, she realized that this was a fight. A fight that Akane was tired of being on the defensive for.

"Well, what makes you think Ranma wants to marry **you?"**

Akane felt some satisfaction at annoyance crossing Shampoo's face. "What?"

"Let me repeat myself Shampoo. What makes you think Ranma wants to marry you?" Akane said, "I mean, you yourself admit that he can't marry both of us, so he'll eventually have to choose. So, what makes you so sure he's going to marry you?"

Shampoo clenched her fist, "It obvious? Shampoo better then Akane. Better fighter, better cook...better looks even."

Akane smashed that weak counter with a laugh. "Really? You think Ranma's that shallow? He's not going to compare us with some kind of checklist to decide who's better." She smiled, "No. I think that, when Ranma's ready…" _when I'm ready_ … "... it will be who he likes. Who he wants to spend his life with."

"What make you think Ranma-"

"When was the last time you saw Ranma?" Akane asked.

Shampoo was taken back by that particular blow, "Ah.. uh… th-"

"Three days ago, right?" Akane said, "When the two of us went to the Cat Cafe, had lunch. It was nice, I admit."

"So what?"

"I saw Ranma this morning, just a few hours ago. I see him every day." Memories flashed through her head, "I spend a lot of time with Ranma you know. We study together, we watch TV, we practice martial arts together. We eat together all the time. Not just family meals." Akane suddenly blinked in realization. "I… I spend more time with him than anybody else, really." She hadn't realized until speaking it, but she spent more time with Ranma then even her "best friends." "If, if you're having a bad day, does he try and cheer you up with some dumb teasing? Does he make stupid jokes around you? Does he just, I dunno, **spend time** with you talking about absolutely nothing important?" Akane was spilling her heart out now, to Shampoo of all people, not even getting any satisfaction of seeing her eyes widen and her cheeks pale.

"Shampoo... " Shampoo muttered, "Shampoo no… Shampoo no get to spend time with Ranma like that! Not fair!"

"Don't say stuff like that, Shampoo. If Ranma really wanted to spend time with you he'd just go and do it. Not like I can force him to do anything. But he doesn't. He spends time with me." Akane took a deep breath, gathering the will to say this final thing. "So… yes…. I…. want… to marry Ranma." She looked around briefly, expecting her dad to leap up out of nowhere and Genma to pull off the Shampoo mask. When that didn't happen, she continued. "And you know what? I can't say for certain, not like he's proposed or anything… but I think that he wants to marry me."

She looked over at Shampoo. Who was frowning. "Well? Got anything to say Shampoo?"

Shampoo just sighed, "Fine. Akane make point. Not going to give up Ranma?"

"Fine! Yes! If you want the short version! Nothing's going to be settled until Ranma mans up, right? You said so."

"Right." Shampoo said, calmly. "Akane think Ranma like Akane better. Maybe that true, now. After all, Akane have many advantages over Shampoo. Like Akane have no curse." She reached into her bike's basket, pulling out an urn. "But… that be fixed soon."

It took Akane less than a second to process that sentence, what it meant with the character on the urn. By the time a second had passed she was already on a full sprint, dashing out of the park.

 _Where the hell did Shampoo get Junsenkyo water?_ Akane thought to herself before deciding it didn't matter. Her dash was halted by Shampoo landing in front of her, on the bike, grinning. The urn in one hand. "Crap!" With the bike there was no way Akane could outrun Shampoo.

"Last chance, Akane! Give up Ranma and Shampoo no curse!"

"Like hell!" Akane answered, throwing out a concrete shattering punch. Shampoo, of course, jumped over it, and Akane. Shampoo spun through the air to land behind Akane, but had to raise up the arm not holding the urn to block a kick Akane launched behind her.

Akane crouched low to the ground, spinning around to an uppercut. The punch was aimed at the urn, so Shampoo had to twist her hand out of the way. This left her open to a second punch aimed at her chest. Which she had to block with a leg. Shampoo winced, having taken to hard blows that hurt even when blocked. She was pushed back, the two martial artists pausing to assess the fight.

Shampoo was, by most measures, the better fighter. She was faster, stronger, and had completed more advanced training. However, this skill gap was not completely insurmountable. Shampoo had one major handicap, the urn. All Akane had to do to win the fight was destroy it or even just knock it out of Shampoo's hands long enough to get to a crowded street where her bike no longer afforded her a speed advantage. Shampoo, on the other hand, had to beat down Akane hard enough to get her to hold still long enough to apply the cursed water.

The moment of assessment passed, ending with Akane rocketing forward. To Shampoo's surprise, she didn't immediately aim for the urn. Stuck using one arm, she parried and dodged several strikes. She jumped over a leg sweep, before throwing out a series of strikes using primarily her legs.

Akane didn't let how much blocking (and she did have to block most of them) those kicks hurt. Instead she powered through the pain. She pulled back, a little.

Shampoo grinned as she saw the opening Akane's little retreat left, she threw out another kick straight at her temple! Her grin quickly faded when she saw that it was a feint. Akane reached out, and grabbed Shampoo's extended leg.

"Yaaaahhhhhhh!" Akane shouted, spinning Shampoo around, the Nǚjiézú warrior only managing to hold onto her urn through improbable skill. "Gooooooddd-bye!" Akane added, letting Shampoo go. She sailed through the air, landing straight into a pond in the center of the park.

Taking a few deep breaths and wiping the sweat off her forehead, Akane shouted to the cat that she knew would be crawling out of the pond. "Next time try something that didn't come out of Mousse's playbook!" Before Akane could start to leave, her instincts warned her to drop down **immediately.** Following them, she barely avoided Shampoo's high kick from out of the pond. "What?"

"Stupid Akane. Think Shampoo only get Spring of Drowned Cat water?" The wet and very human Shampoo taunted. "Shampoo get water from Spring of Drowned Girl. Never be cat again."

Akane gritted her teeth. "Whatever!" She clenched both her firsts, "You not being a cat won't make Ranma like you any more!"

"How about Shampoo test that then?" She said, "See if Ranma likes Akane less when cat!"

"Go… ahead and try!" Akane charged forward again. Another series of punches and kicks. Akane reached into her training to pull out every tricks she knew. Punches at the urn, kicks not aimed at the urn, punches made to deliberately miss the urn to make Shampoo move where she wanted to. Shampoo was soon on the defensive, stuck blocking and dodging mostly. Only the occasional strike could be thrown out. Feeling refreshed by the growing confidence, Akane pressed forward. Throwing out faster and harder strikes, the two almost dancing around the park.

Around the park… in a… in a circle?

 _Wait._ Akane thought to herself, _We're moving in a circle… no… the circle's getting… smaller._ Akane's eyes widened in the sudden realization of the trap she was falling into. _Crap crap!_ She tried to jump away, pulling away from Shampoo. But it was too late, Shampoo threw out her fist, a punch that wasn't even aimed at Akane.

It didn't have to be, the tornado that erupted around them was more than enough. Having been in the middle of the Hiyru Shoten Ha once before, Akane knew full well its power. However, this time she was the focus of the attack, and it hurt a lot worse than what she could have imagined. It was made worse by the knowledge that she was basically hitting herself. Even through the pain, Akane berated herself for not taking this into account. After all, who had taught Ranma the Hiyru Shoten Ha? Cologne, **Shampoo's** Great Grandmother.

Finally, Akane hit the grass face first. "Going… to be feeling this tomorrow…" Akane groaned, trying to pull herself up. However, Shampoo's foot slamming into her back stopped that.

"Too too bad Akane. Just not good enough." Shampoo said, holding the urn much like an executioner would hold their axe. "Never good enough for Ranma."

"I told you… not a checklist." Akane grunted out through the pain.

Shampoo let out a snort, "No matter. Ranma not like you much anymore no?" She tilted the urn over, "Run scared from Akane from now on."

Akane closed her eyes, not wanting to see the transformation take effect. She felt the icy water spill over her body and heart. _Please Ranma… don't… don't hate me because of this._

A moment passed, and Akane opened her eyes. "...huh?" Akane had expected being a cat to feel… different. Nothing seemed to have grown. Though, things did look a little different. The colors seemed a bit less bright. She moved one of her sore arms… and realized it was still an arm.

"What this!?" Shampoo shrieked, her foot leaving Akane's back.

Akane pulled herself off the ground. Grinning through the pain. "Hah! Looks like wherever you got that water from was a scam!"

"Shampoo… Shampoo pay too too much for that!" She shouted, "Stupid Akane why not get cursed right!" She threw out a punch at Akane. However, compared to the lightning fast blows from a few minutes ago, this was so slow Akane didn't even have to think to side step it. She threw out a kick that hit Shampoo in the gut, knocking her back into the pond.

Akane then could not help but feel a bit of smug satisfaction as a moment passed, and instead of a human girl crawling out of the pond, a familiar cat did. Shampoo looked down at herself, eyes wide in shock, and immediately began yowling and hissing at the world. She quickly bent down, picking up Shampoo by the scruff of her neck, holding out out so that the claws couldn't slash at her. "Well, this was a waste of your time and money, I'd say." Shampoo just hissed in reply. "Go home Shampoo." She dropped the cat, watching Shampoo dash away.

"OK… now I need to… get…. home…" Akane froze, her eyes having dropped down to the pond, where she could see her reflection. "What the hell!?"

The first thing she noticed that was different was her eyes. Rather than the brown eyes she was used to, her eyes were a deep green. Plus, their pupils had become vertical slits, like a cats. The next thing she noticed was the ears. She did not have normal human ears any longer. Instead there were two pointed cat ears on the top of her head. Even though they were pressed down flat against her head, she could still see them. She could **feel** them. The final, and worst, thing she noticed was that her dress was being pushed up from behind… by a **tail.** The tail was jutting out of from behind, sticking up her dress. The fur (the tail had fur! She had fur!) was the same color as the hair on her head, and was puffing out wildly. Finally she stumbled back away from the reflection, screaming. "What did she do to me!"

This was **worse** than becoming a cat! She had become some half cat… thing! "Hot water…" Akane muttered, "Where's hot water!" She looked around the park, no hot water anywhere. "Home… need to get home…" She said. Hopefully with nobody seeing her. She tried to push down the tail to keep her underwear from being exposed… but the thing seemed to have a mind of its own, jutting up no matter how hard she tried to force it down. "Agggg whatever!" She ran to the edge of the park, crossing the street and ignoring the stares of what observers gawking at what, to them, seemed to be a roughed up cosplayer. She jumped up to a nearby building, kicking off the side twice to land on the roof.

Akane began running in the direction of her house, jumping from building to building.. _I can't let Ranma see me like this._ Was her primary thought.

* * *

Akane didn't bother to announce she was home. She slipped past Kasumi into the kitchen.

There was always a kettle of water on the stove since the Saotome's had arrived. Akane quietly picked up up and shook it. It was full. Looking around again, she poured around a third of the kettle over her. To her great relief, the change reversed. She put the kettle back and tried to look casual when Kasumi wandered in.

"Akane?" It took all of a second for concern to pop up on her face, "Are you alright?"

Akane let out a shaky smile, "I'm fine, really… I just got into a fight, I'm fine. I've had worse." She glanced back at the kettle, "I think… it was a draw." She shook her head, "I'm going to take a bath. Though, uh, where's Ranma? A-and everyone else."

Kasumi just smiled, "Well, Ranma's seeing some movies with his friends. He won't back back until late. Father and Mr. Saotome are out on Town Council business, I suspect they'll be gone late too. Nabiki's up in her room. So it's just the three of us for the evening."

Akane did her best not to look relieved. Ranma and the parents not being around would get her more time to figure out how to keep this hidden.

* * *

Stepping into the bathroom, Akane pulled off her dirty clothing and tossed them into the basket. She looked in the mirror, checking her body for any major injuries. Other than a few… well, a lot of bruises she didn't seem that hurt. Still, she hadn't had a serious fight like this in some time. She sighed. "Maybe I need to up my training…" She picked up the bucket by the tub, filled with cold water. "Might as well…"She dumped the bucket over her head.

Akane had always been curious about the change, and how it felt to Ranma. However, she had never found it right to ask. Now she had her answer. It didn't feel like **anything.** One moment Akane was her normal self, the cold water was applied, and she was different. "Well…. that explains how they don't even seem to notice the change at time…" She looked in the mirror at her own now changed self.

Her new cat ears were no longer flat against her head, sticking out and twitching slightly. She lifted up one finger and poked it. It was warm and obviously part of her. The tail wasn't puffed out any more either, it was sticking mostly straight, with a bit of a downward curve on the tip. Again, she reached out and touched it. Still, other then the ears, tail, and eyes, she didn't look that different. "Hopefully this means I can hide it…" after all, her change was so much more minor than the other people she knew. It wasn't like she turned into a boy, or a duck, or a panda… or whatever Pantyhose Taro is. Settling down into the hot bath, Akane began making plans to make sure that nobody, especially not Ranma, would ever see this curse.

* * *

"...and then Mikoto said…"

Akane came down to the living room to find Nabiki engaging in some gossip with Kasumi. Her older sister grinning and nodding enthusiastically to the story whatever had happened at school.

"Well hey sis." Nabiki waved, "Kasumi says you got into a fight."

Akane rolled her eyes, "It was Shampoo being Shampoo. She roughed me up a bit, I kicked her in a pond, she went home." She glared at her sisters, "Do not bring it up to Ranma or Dad."

Kasumi nodded and Nabiki held out her hand. Akane sighed, pulling out five hundred yen (Family Discount) and put it in the middle sister's palm.

"You sure Ranma's worth it?" Nabiki asked dryly once the money was pocketed. "I mean I can't remember the last time I got into a brawl over a boyfriend. You seem to do it once a month."

"Ranma's my fiance, not my boyfriend." Akane replied back.

"And that makes it better how?"

"Now Nabiki, if Akane's fine with the situation then let her be." Kasumi said, though Akane could hear the question in that sentence.

"I am fine, really. As crazy as I think Shampoo is, I'm pretty sure she realizes that trying to seriously hurt me would just set Ranma off." She shrugged, before grinning at her sisters, "Don't worry, some day Ranma will man up and they'll be told off."

"Sure you won't be the one told off?" Nabiki asked.

Akane shrugged, "Hey, if he has such bad taste, no skin off my back!" She laughed with her sisters. She could never talk this freely about the engagement with any of the men of the household around. If her father or Genma had been here, just implying she was fine with the situation would lead to no end of trouble. If Ranma was here… well, he'd probably say something dumb like he always does when things like relationships and human emotions comes up.

Nabiki picked up a glass of water, "That's a philosophical view right there Akane." Then the doorbell rang. Kasumi stood up to go answer it, and bumped the knocked Nabiki, who had been leaning up against the table, off balance. This, because of course it did, caused the cup to get knocked loose in Nabiki's hand. The ice water flew out of the cup, right into Akane's face.

 _Well, that secret sure lasted long._ Akane thought as whoever was ringing the doorbell was forgotten. Nabiki and Kasumi were staring at her. Akane laughed nervously, "Well, uh, Shampoo **might** have done a bit more then start a fight with me today."

* * *

 _So unlike my other fics, this one is fully outlined with a defined number of chapters! It's also pretty much entirely an excuse for me to write Catgirl Akane fanservice. So don't take things too seriously._


	2. A Blinded Date

Part 2/5: A Blinded Date

Akane stared at her two sisters. They stared back.

"Uh, Akane?" Nabiki finally asked. "What is that?"

"It's… uhh… cat ears?" Akane said. Then her tail twitched, pulling her skirt up. "Ahh not again!" she grabbed the tail and tried to push it down. "Stupid thing!"

Nabiki reached out and grabbed it, "Wow, it feels alive."

"It is alive and I can't control it!" Akane stumbled away from Nabiki, yanking the tail from her hands. "Don't grab it like that! it feels weird."

Nabiki snickered, "Sis, your **life** is weird,"

Akane pouted, "Just get me some hot water."

" **Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"**

The two sisters looked to the eldest. "Kasumi?" Akane asked, worried at the wide eyed stare Kasumi was giving off.

"Akane.. you…" Kasumi said, "You are just **so cute!"** Moving faster then she should, Kasumi grabbed Akane and pulled her into a tight hug against her chest. "Those cute ears and tail and those eyes are so pretty and oh my gosh you're **adorable** Akane!"

Akane's eyes were blank as Kasumi did her best to smother Akane with love. "The cutest thing ever ever!" Kasumi squealed. She let Akane out of the hug, "Goodness we'll have to fix up your clothes!"

"What." Nabiki and Akane said at once.

"As adorable as that little tail is we can't have it pushing up your dresses! Not proper at all to show your underwear to anyone other than Ranma…" Kasumi ignored Akane's squeal of protest at that, "I think I have some velcro… hmmm… I'm going to go borrow one of your school uniforms Akane! Be right back!" Kasumi became a blur, moving upstairs, leaving behind Akane and Nabiki.

"So… what spring is this?" Nabiki asked.

Akane shrugged, "Shampoo thought it was Spring of Drowned Cat, but…."

Nabiki pulled at one of Akane's ears, "Looks like it only partly took."

"Ow! Don't pull them like that!" Akane slapped Nabiki's hand away.

Nabiki grinned, "Sensitive?"

Akane rubbed her ears, "I guess."

"Well then…" Nabiki's grin shifted from playful to devilish. "Let's see just how sensitive…"

"Don't you eeaaa!" Akane shrieked, Nabiki leaping over with both hands to begin tickling Akanes ears. "N-a-a-abiiikiii!" Her older sister was merciless, running her fingers up and down those fuzzy cat ears. "Ahhh hahahahahahaha oohhhh!"

Nabiki laughed in return, indulging in her right as older sister to torment the younger. The ears felt just like that of a cat's, she continued her rubbing. Gradually slowing down from tickling to more like scratching or rubbing. Akane's laughter died down. "Ohhh oh Nabiki, that's… ahhh…" Akane let out a moan when Nabiki scratched the base of her ears. "Nnnn…."

Then both sisters froze, eyes locking before they simultaneously jumped away. "Ahhh errr…." Akane said, "That was…."

Nabiki herself was blushing, "I guess… uh… yeah. Not doing that again." In an attempt to regain control, she laughed, "Maybe you should ask Ranma for a good scratching?"

"Nabiki! No! Ranma's never going to see this, ever!"

"Why not?"

"He'll be afraid of me!"

Nabiki shook her head, "He's already afraid of you Akane."

"What!? Why?"

Nabiki patted Akane on the head, "Well, you're a woman aren't you?"

A scowl formed on the little sister's face, "Very funny Nabiki."`

"I'm done!" Kasumi came back downstairs, one of Akane's school uniforms in hand, a kettle in the other. She upended the kettle over Akane, returning her to normal. "Now change into this please."

"What, here and now?' Nabiki asked.

Akane tore the uniform from Kasumi's hands, "Oh you'd like the photo op wouldn't you." She said, marching upstairs to her room.

That's when Kasumi realized that a doorbell had rung, yet nobody had answered it. "Ooops!"

* * *

Cologne took only the briefest of upward glances when her Great-Granddaughter stomped back into their restaurant/house. It would be time for the evening rush soon. "Welcome back, did you enjoy yourself?"

The heavy sigh answered Cologne's question well enough. She peeked back up at Shampoo, spotting the signs of frustration well enough. "Did something happen?"

Shampoo's eyes snapped to Cologne. She clenched her fists, "Great-Grandmother… why is Shampoo stuck in restaurant! Why not go spend time with Ranma?"

Colgone chuckled, "I thought that should be obvious Shampoo. We need to support ourselves. I give you free time, if you choose not to spend it with him that's not my problem."

"But-" Shampoo began.

"No buts child." Colgone said, "We're here long term, after all."

Shampoo nodded in resigned agreement. She had to admit, Tokyo was much more exciting than the old village. Still, it'd be even better if she got to be with Ranma more.

Was it really that simple? Was Ranma just **not** coming to her because he didn't want to? _No._ Shampoo thought, clenching her fists, _I bet you anything Akane's holding him back. He relies on the Tendos for food and shelter at the moment. He_ _ **can't**_ _risk offending them._ Shampoo looked up, straight into Cologne's eyes, burning with determination. "Can Great-Grandmother hire temp work? Shampoo need more time. Akane say something today, Shampoo need to beat her."

After all, if Akane said that spending more time with Ranma meant he would like her more, then obviously that was the key to victory. And if Akane wouldn't let him go over to her, she'd go to him! It was perfect!

"Uh… Shampoo… why are you laughing?" Cologne asked.

* * *

By the time Akane came back downstairs, Kasumi had come back from accepting some package and was humming in anticipation. She had put on the school uniform Kasumi had given her. "Well?" She asked.

"Oh good." Kasumi held up a glass of water. "Are you ready?"

"You sure Ranma isn't going to be back any time soon?" Akane asked, resigned to her fate.

"Positive." Kasumi said, "He's at a movie, remember?"

"If you say so…" Akane muttered, with that Kasumi upended the cup over her head. The next instant Akane heard a sort of tearing sound. Turning around, she could see her tail sticking out of a small hole in the back of her dress.

"Velcro!" Kasumi said brightly, "That way it will just pop open if you get splashed!" Then she grabbed Akane into another hug, "And you look soooo cute!"

"Now she just look likes she came back from Akihabara, great job Kasumi." Nabiki commented, ignoring Akane's glare.

"I'll have to modify all your outfits. Oh! Maybe this weekend we can go shopping for some new clothing that will fit your new look!"

"It's a curse, not a fashion statement." Akane grumbled, but Kasumi was too far gone to care.

"Here you go." Nabiki poured a kettle over Akane's head. "For free even."

Kasumi then let go of Akane, smiling brightly. With a sigh, Akane reached behind her, felt how the velcro came together, and closed the hole. "Uh, thanks Kasumi."

"Oh it's no trouble Akane." Kasumi said sweetly. 'It just wouldn't do otherwise." A strange and slightly dangerous gleam appeared in her eyes. "Oh yes. I think maybe a few new skirts to match the tail… oh I bet she'd look adorable in **that."** Kasumi began quietly whispering plans to herself.

Akane smiled a little nervously, "Sure, we can do that."

It was well past sundown when Ranma Saotome finally returned home. It was rather late, and Ranma was pretty sure that everybody in the Tendo Residence was already asleep. Slipping in quietly, he let out a little yawn. It had been an eventful day. He just wanted to slip into the kitchen, see if any leftovers were saved, and then head to-

He quickly noticed somebody sitting at the table, reading a book. "Akane?"

Akane looked up, and in an instant a spark flashed in her eye and a smile sprouted. "Ranma! You're home!"

Ranma felt a little startled at the affectionate look Akane was giving him, "Uh… hey Akane. Err, what're you doing up still?"

Akane mentally stumbled at that. She didn't want to admit that, with the events of the day, she had **needed** to see him before she could sleep. He would tease her endlessly. "I, uh, had homework."

"Oh." Ranma felt a sudden flash of disappointment. He forcefully shook his head to clear that out. It wasn't like he had been hoping she had stayed up waiting for him or something like that.

"There's some food for you in the fridge!" Akane stood up before any awkwardness could come. "I'll heat it up." She ran into the kitchen, pulling the plate of leftovers out of the fridge.

Now, whatever one can say about Akane's cooking skills, she could operate a microwave at the very least. Ranma sometimes wondered just how much frozen meals would be in his future. Well, if he actually decided to go along with the engagement. Long shot that may be.

When the microwave beeped, Akane pulled out the heated food… before it suddenly hit her. _I waited for him to come home, now I'm bringing him food. Oh my god I'm acting like a giddy housewife._ Keeping her head down to hide the sudden blush, Akane slammed the plate and a pair of chopsticks down in front of Ranma. "H-here you go!" Luckily, Ranma's observational skills became zero once there was food within range, so he didn't notice anything odd. "S-so how were the movies?"

"Oh they were pretty good." Ranma said between bites, "You know, once I got to see them."

"Huh?" Akane asked.

"Well…" Ranma looked up from his meal, "It's like this. Me, Hiroshi, and Daisuke had settled into the theater for the marathon, big bags of popcorn, lots of soda, you know. Then… ten minutes into the first movie out pops a ghost."

"A ghost." Akane said, eyebrow raised. Not because she doubted him, just last week she and Ukyo exorcised a haunted spatula. She was rather proud that the okonomiyaki she made was the one to do it. (Sure, Konatsu had fainted after having one bite of it, but the ghost liked it. She thinks. Why else would it move on to the next life after eating it?) Rather, she was curious about how this misadventure had gone.

"Yeah, turns out the original director of the movie died and he wanted it done his way." Ramna said, "That's when he…"

Akane leaned forward and listened to Ranma tell the tale. She had to admit, she loved hearing the stories of the adventures he got into when he wasn't with her. Like the hot springs guy who wanted to find the girl who stepped on his head. (Ranma ended up being the one who did that.) Or the boy who would only take his medicine from a pretty girl. Or that yokai infested temple Ranma helped two alcoholic shrine maidens clean out. He used to never talk about the trouble he got into. Ranma used to barely talk to her about whatever he did at all. But as they got to know each other more he began telling stories.

"And oh yeah, then the guy decided that I'd be perfect fit for the main character." Ranma said, while making a face.

"Let me guess, the film's main character is a girl?" Akane asked, not even bothering to hide her amusement.

"Yup. Then Kuno shows up and says he'll be the male lead." Ranma gagged.

"I'm so sorry Ranma." Akane giggled. A lot of the weirder antics Ranma got involved with seemed to involve his curse. For a moment she wondered if that would be the same for her from now on. Ranma continued the story, pausing when Akane gasped or laughed at the appropriate times. He was a pretty good storyteller.

"So with the three of us having finished the movie the way he wanted, the old director moved on and we actually got to watch our marathon." Ranma pulled an envelope out of his pocket, "Got free tickets as thanks." He said with a grin.

Akane's eyes locked on to that envelope. What she had said to Shampoo earlier in the day came to her mind. She did spend a lot of time with Ranma… but did that really mean they were a couple? Did Ranma just see her as a friend? The had been in this arranged engagement for a while now, yet neither of them had ever really done anything about it. "Hey, Ranma. How about we use those tickets then?"

"Huh?" Ranma narrowed his eyes, "You want em? They're mine."

Akane resisted the urge to smack sense into him. "No Ranma. We go out **together**. As in.. a… a d-d-date."

Akane could almost hear the sounds of Ranma crumbling like a statue. "What?" He finally asked.

"Well… we **are** engaged." Akane tried to sound casual. "Maybe we could actually act like a couple for once. I mean, a the point of a date is for two people to figure out if they even like spending time together. If we're going to get married, isn't knowing that important?"

"I don't need to go on some dumb date to know I like spending time with you!" Ranma blurted out. Horrified silence followed as both of them realized what he said. "I, uh… I mean… I just saw a bunch of movies today…"

"We don't have to go to the theater if you don't want to… we could just go out to lunch or something…" Akane wasn't looking at him anymore. "Or… if you don't want to…"

Ranma shook his head. No way was he going to back down from this. "S-sure. After school tomorrow. We can, uh… go have lunch… maybe go to the park afterwards?"

Akane smiled, "That sounds great. Tomorrow?"

"Sure… Well, I'm tired." Ranma made and exaggerated yawn. "Good night Akane!" He ran upstairs, leaving behind the empty plate.

Akane wasn't too concerned about that. Once he was gone, Akane wrapped her arms around herself. "Oh god… I can't believe I did that." She actually asked Ranma out on a date. She let out a smile, "Still…" Maybe things could work out with them like she wanted. "We'll have a nice lunch… a lunch. At a restaurant. With people carrying around cold drinks."

 _They were both dressed nicely, an elaborate meal in front of them._

" _You look great." Ranma complemented, giving her a smile that made her knees weak._

" _Thank you." Akane said shyly, as food was brought in. However, Ranma ate slowly, focused only on her._

" _I've been thinking, about our engagement." Ranma said, leaning in close with smoldering eyes. "Perhaps it's time we start taking it a little more seriously."_

" _Ranma," Akane reached out and grasped his hands, "I-"_

 _That's when a waiter tripped, spilling cold drinks all over her. Akane saw clearly how the sight of her quickly shifted Ranma's expression to pure terror. "Ranma wait I-"_

 _"Aggggaaaa stay away!" Ranma jumped out of the seat "Monster! Monster!" He turned and ran away... right into Shampoo's arms._

" _Oh Airen, don't worry! Shampoo protect from monster!"_

" _Geez Sugar, aren't you terrifying." Ukyo added._

" _Stay away from my darling Ranma." Kodachi hissed._

 _Ranma shivered and turned away from the terrifying cat girl. "T-thanks" He whimpered, as all three girls hugged him._

"Well… OK. **That** probably won't happen." Akane said to herself. She doubted that the mere sight of the curse would be enough to drive Ranma into the arms of her rivals. Still, letting Ranma see it, even for moment, was not an option.

* * *

Morning came, and Shampoo prepared for battle. This would not be a physical battle,but the war would continue on nonetheless. Today she would spend the day with Ranma. Even if he had to go to school, she'd join him when he finished! She wore a tight dark red cheongsam, the sides split to show off **all** of her toned legs. A bit of lipstick and eyeshadow, and two jade earrings. Perfect, today Ranma would not be able to say no to her company.

* * *

Akane looked at herself in the a mirror. Uniform on, she checked her bag, emergency anti-curse supplies were stored within. Laying on her bed was the outfit she was going to wear for their date after school. A modest skirt and blouse combo she thought was rather cute, a note set on it telling Kasumi to leave it out. She brushed her hair to make it shiny. Holding up her mirror, she smiled. "There we go!" She headed out to school.

* * *

It didn't hit Ranma until after breakfast passed and the two were walking to school.

He was going on a date with Akane.

"Ranma? Are you OK?" Akane asked.

Ranma pulled himself up off the concrete, having tripped with the sudden enormity of the realization. Then he was smashed into the concrete again, this time by a bicycle.

"Nihao!" Shampoo said brightly. Jumping off her bike and landing in front of Ranma. "How Ranma today?"

Ranma stood up, the bike falling to the side. "Good morning Shampoo." He said dryly. "What's with the get up?"

Akane scowled, noticing that Shampoo had dressed fancier than usual. Shamooo leaned in close to Ranma, her eyes wide and a cute smile plastered on her face. "How about Ranma play hooky today and go on date with Shampoo!"

"Uhh… well…" Ranma paused, trying to think of a way to let down Shampoo gently. Well, unless she offered him something to make it really worth it. He could always skip school, get whatever Shampoo would offer, then date Akane right? Before he could give an answer, Akane grabbed him by the pigtail. He was then deposited behind her.

"Sorry Shampoo, school is far too important for Ranma to skip." Akane said with a polite smile.

Shampoo responded with her own empty smile. "Oh? Shampoo not know Akane in charge of Ranma's life."

"I am his fiancee, it's important to support him."

"Ah. Shampoo remember to do that now."

Ranma took a step back, both of them were perfectly calm. They were politely smiling, not a hint of anger in their voices. Yet both of them were producing increasingly large battle auras. And experience had taught him that getting between two angry women was a bad idea.

"So I'm sorry Shampoo, Ranma will have to go play with you another time." Akane said.

"How about after school then?" Shampoo asked pointedly.

Akane gave Ranma a Look. This Look promised terrible retribution if he said the wrong thing at this point. "Err, sorry Shampoo. I, uh, promised I'd hang out with Akane after school."

If Akane listened closely, she would have heard the sound of Shampoo cracking. "Ranma… Ranma going to spend time with Akane? Ranma spend too much time with Akane already!" Her fists clenched, before she reached into her bicycle's basket. "Ranma want to date Akane! Then date Akane like this!"

Ranma didn't know what Shampoo was ready to toss at Akane, but he would not allow it to touch her. A blur of motion and Ranma was standing in front of Akane just as Shampoo launched her attack.

The cold water hit Ranma and the face, and in an instant he was she. "Uh… what?"

Shampoo looked down at the water bottle in her hand, frowning. "There! Akane prefer Ranma like this no? Enjoy date now!" She hopped on her bike and rode off, jumping straight up onto the fence in defiance of gravity and momentum.

"Oh man. This sucks." Ranma grumbled. "How am I supposed to go to school like this?"

Akane rolled her eyes, "Come on Ranma. I'll cover you when you run into the bathroom."

"Oh come on. Can't we just go see Dr. Tofu?"

"If you want to be late go ahead…"

The two continued to walk to school, while watching from atop a house, watched with a dark glare.

 _Oh she thinks she so clever. Forcing Ranma to spend more time with her huh?_ Shampoo thought, _Hah, I know how this will go. No way I'm going to let you get away with this!_ A wide grin came to Shampoo's face. "Shampoo expose new curse, and Ranma run from Akane like he had to run from Shampoo many times!"

"Hey why's that lady laughing on our roof?" A little boy who had come out of the house to go to school asked.

* * *

"OK Class! Today we're going to learn about _conjugation._ " Miss Hinako said, lollypop in one hand and textbook in the other.

Akane wished she could tape her eyes open. Ranma, having learned English from a bunch of American soldiers Genma had brought him to practice with at the age of 12, groaned, everybody else reacted to varying degrees of attentiveness. (Nobody knew how Gosunkugi reacted, because nobody had paid any attention to him since the time he used that mail order armor to try and fight Ranma.)

However, none of them noticed the extra desk in the classroom.

 _Perfect! I knew I could adapt this technique!_ Shampoo thought from within her disguise. Sure, infiltrating a classroom using a technique used by Nǚjiézú to spy on the vast Imperial Chinese bureaucracy was a bit of a downgrade, but results were results.

Her eyes narrowed at the sight of Akane, sitting **right next** to Ranma. How dare she! Shampoo would ensure that Ranma would stay far away from her right now.

Sure, the cure had only partly kicked in, but Shampoo figured he'd be at least half scared of her. While Miss Hinako explained English grammar, Shampoo flipped herself up.

Thanks to the power of the Japanese Education system; all the class was too busy staring straight ahead at Miss Hinako. As such nobody noticed the desk flipping up onto the ceiling and scurrying over to the fire sprinkler. As for Miss Hinako? It was clearly just a desk, not a delinquent student so not worth paying attention to.

Sliding over to the fire sprinkler, Shampoo discreetly held out her hand. She closed her eyes, remembering some of her Grandmothers techniques on controlling ki and expelling it. (Much more efficient than that jury rigged emotion technique Cologne had mentioned Ranma cooking up) Slowly the heat built up, until Shampoo let it go and drift into the sprinkler.

Down below, Akane heard the sound of the sprinkler starting. However, unbeknownst to Shampoo, Akane had been prepared for **any** random incident in which water might try and hit her. Hearing the telltale signs of water being released, she immediately began to execute her plan.

1\. Pull out Umbrella

2\. Stand next to Ranma

3\. Hold Umbrella over Ranma and herself to give her plausible deniability

The problem came with executing the plan, having around a second to do it, Akane didn't have much time to position herself over Ranma and still cover them both.

As such, the class all started when the sprinkler turned on, and Akane immediately jumped over desk into Ranma's lap, an umbrella open.

"Uh…" Ranma stared, wide eyed, at his fiancee.

"Oh god." Akane muttered, as the water poured down around them.

The rest of the class gawked and snickered, while the two sat there, under the umbrella, as the water poured around them.

"W-what were you thinking!?" Ranma snapped.

"I… I just wanted to keep you dry!" Akane said.

"And you couldn't have held it over me?" Ranma asked.

"I didn't want to get wet either!"

"So crawling all over me was the way to go then?" Ranma said, eyes narrowed.

"Crawling all over me? You think I want to be sitting in your lap?" Akane's voice raised in volume.

"Well if the shoe fits!"

"In your dreams Ranma!"

"Oh really? I know what your dreams are like Akane. " _Oh thank you Prince Ranma!"_

"What!?" A shriek of outrage, how did he know about that dream?

That's when the cat fell on Miss Hinako. Luckily, for Shampoo, Ranma and Akane were too busy arguing to notice.

* * *

 _It would seem I underestimated her._ Shampoo though darkly, huddled underneath the teacher's desk, glaring at Akane in the now sodden room. As a cat she couldn't risk going out, all it would take is one brief glance at her and Ranma would freak out and all would be exposed.

For the past several hours she watched as teacher left, new ones came in, and the lectures kept droning on. Even when lunch came the two kept on chatting over their lunchboxes. Even more infuriatingly **Ukyo** came in halfway through the day and just joined in the meal! Ranma saying "hi" to her like she just belonged sitting next to him! Now the cross-dresser was getting more time with Ranma than her!

Finally, after what seemed like far too long, they left. Shampoo considered, for a moment, following Ukyo and telling her about the date, before deciding against it. Too much risk of Ukyo taking advantage of the moment to try and improve her own standing.

No, she would end this date under her own power!

"Kitty!" Miss Hinako said, suddenly ripping her out of her hiding place. The elementary school age looking teacher holding the struggling Shampoo tight against her chest. "Were you stuck there the entire day? Poor thing!"

* * *

There was a note pinned to Akane's outfit when she got home.

 _Don't worry Akane, I did the proper modifications._

 _-Kasumi_

"Great." she said, "I guess that at least when Ranma's running screaming from me he won't see my panties." Pulling on the lace trimmed blouse and matching skirt, Akane peaked outside her window. Sure enough, Ranma was out there pacing the wall of the house. Wearing a fairly nice green shirt. Glancing down, she saw nobody in the yard. So after quickly grabbing her purse, she jumped down out the window.

* * *

 _OK. So this isn't a big deal. You've hung out with Akane before. She's just never called it a date before but it won't be any different than any of the other times._ Ranma thought to himself as he paced the stone wall surround the house.

Why on earth had Akane decided they needed to go on a date anyways? Ranma let out a little short with the coming realization, It probably had something to do with Shampoo. She had been all dressed up for him and then Akane had been ready to confront her. So Shampoo had done something to shake Akane up enough to want to try and do something to progress their… thing.

"Hey Ranma!"

Ranma nearly jumped out of his clothes.

Akane, now standing behind him on the wall, giggled. She had put on some lip gloss which was different. Ranma swallowed nervously. "So, uh…" He jumped down onto the other side of the wall, Akane following, "Where should we go?"

"Go?" Ranma asked, squeaking out. "Go! Right...to… to the date."

Akane smiled, "Yes, the date."

"Right…" Ranma paused to think about where to go. Usually when they went out for meals on their Not Dates they just went to WcDonalds. Somehow Ranma figured that would be a poor place for an Actual Date. "There's that Family Restaurant down the road from the park?"

Akane clapped her hands together, "That works." A sly smile popped up, "Lead the way Ranma."

"O-of course!" Ranma laughed nervously, before turning on his heel and marching towards his destination.

Akane couldn't help but smile at his nervousness. Helped hide her's. "Ranma."

"Huh?"

"Thanks for taking me on this date." She put her hand on his arm, "Let's just have some fun, OK?"

It was weird, but something about her tough made the tension drain from him. Yeah, this wasn't that scary, right?

Of course, neither of them noticed the cat peeking around the corner and glaring at them.

* * *

Another day at the restaurant, another day at the kitchen, and another day washing dishes. So were the actions of this young man in his part time job. Nothing but the routine. However, that routine was broken by the sudden appearance of a cat on the edge of the sink.

"Huh? Hey, who let this animal in?" He said. The cat turned to look at him, it almost looked annoyed.

"Shoo." He said, waving at the cat. In response the cat jumped into the soapy water within the sink. The young man groaned, wondering why on earth a cat had willingly jumped into hot water.

Then the naked girl appeared.

The young man 's eyes bulged out of his sockets, the plate he had been scrubbing dropping from his hands and breaking on the floor.

"Where uniforms?" The girl said, suds somehow preserving the minimum of her modesty.

Slowly, his expression unchanging, his arm lifted and pointed to the employee lounge.

"Thank you!" She said, jumping out of the sink and splashing water into his face. She streaked into the lounge. For a moment he stood there, silent, covered in soapy water, a broken plate at his feet.

Then, without a word, he turned around and made for the exit. He had clearly been working here for far too long.


End file.
